Cherokee
by GracieHoltzbertTrash715
Summary: "He didn't know why she was the first thing to pop into his head as he held the sonogram picture in his hand. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd hoped Maggie would never have to go through the same thing she did. He couldn't watch another mother struggle through the loss of her child again. Not after seeing it crush Carol." Set after Season 6 Episode 11 (Knots Untie) I OWN NOTHING
1. Rose

_**Set after "Knots Untie" Season 6, Episode 11**_

 _He didn't know why she was the first thing to pop into his head as he held the picture in his hand. Perhaps it was knowing that she would never get to have one of her own ever again. Or perhaps it was the fact that he'd hoped Maggie would never have to go through the same thing she did. Watching Rick raise Judith in this type of environment told Daryl that Glenn and his wife were taking a huge risk going through with this pregnancy, not that there was much to be done about it in their living situation. But he knew that he couldn't watch another mother struggle through the loss of her child again. Not after seeing it crush Carol the way it had._

 _Daryl Dixon quickly handed the sonogram photo over to Abraham, hoping the tears he felt at the surface would not escape his eyes. He never wanted children of his own, he knew that for sure. But for some reason, whenever he saw a child, particularly Judith, his mind immediately went to Carol. He knew deep down that it had something to do with perhaps the feeling of guilt he had. He knew it was not his fault, but he hated that he wasn't able to do more for Sophia. He hated that he wasn't able to save Carol from that heartbreak of having to watch her daughter, turned, shot in the head by someone she trusted her whole life with._

 _As Abraham finally handed the photo back to Glenn and Maggie, Daryl couldn't help but remember Carol shaking in his arms as he held her in mourning the day it happened. A part of him wanted to shout so everyone in the RV could hear him warning the expecting couple to make sure they knew they could handle protecting their unborn child, but the other part of him told him that he had no right. Just like he had no right to criticize Carol just a couple days after losing her daughter. But he just knew that he couldn't bare the sight of seeing another mother lose their child._

* * *

 _*Three Hours Later*_

Daryl stood outside the church, kicking at the ground after hearing Rick's speech to the people of Alexandria about helping out at the hilltop in order to be paid in food, shelter, and peace from the other civilization of people nearby. He bent down, picking up a rock and holding it in his hand for a few seconds. The dark haired man stroked the rock with his thumb, feeling its rough but smooth surface.

"Hey."

He jumped at the soft voice behind him. Looking back down at the ground after turning around and seeing who it was he replied. "Hey."

There was a small silence between them before she finally spoke again. "What are you doing out here?"

He hesitated before answering. "You're the one that should be in there. I already know all the details. I was with them, remember?"

"Yes, of course. But still, what are you doing out here all alone?" Carol wondered.

"I don't know." Daryl turned around and threw the rock as far as he could, letting out a small grunt. "Just thinking, I guess."

"About what?" She leisurely sat down on the church steps, faintly hearing Rick's voice from inside the church doors behind her.

He picked up one more rock and threw it without an answer. Carol decided not to repeat the question as she read his body language stating that he didn't want to answer. Not right away at least. She looked around at the empty town and crossed her arms, resting them on her knees as they were perked up to her chest on the small staircase. "It's a beautiful day today."

"Oh yeah! It's a real wonderful day!" Daryl suddenly snapped, throwing a third rock and turning to face her. "Why don't we all just go out and have a picnic with these new bastards and pretend everything's hunky-dory just because it's a beautiful day out?" He asked sarcastically.

Carol squinted her eyes at him as she just listened to his frustration before responding. "I didn't mean it like that, Daryl. I just meant-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just meant that the weather was nice and the trees were green and the birds are flying free without a goddamn care in the world. Well, what about me, Carol? Huh? What about us?"

"What about us?" She put a hand on the railing, pulling herself to stand up.

"What about the fact that we're dying here? What about the fact that there are others out there who could be all alone and they haven't been in another human's presence since this all began and we're here still-" He seized talking when he finally noticed that he was beginning to shout and he tried his best to calm down as he waited for her to speak now.

"Still what, Daryl?" She asked.

"It just bothers me that there could be people out there, totally and completely alone who would die to have a community like we do and we're here still fighting with other humans when what we should be doing is coming together to help and protect each other!" He lowered his voice and Carol took a step down to the last stair.

She didn't say anything for awhile as a small grin formed on her lips. He noticed and relaxed a bit more. "Thank you, Daryl."

Caught off-guard, it took him a moment to reply. "For what?"

Her smile grew a bit wider. "For showing me the person who you really are."

"The person I really am?"

She took one last step down, onto the ground, looking up at him and he stared down at her. Their closeness threw him off a bit as he suddenly felt something he'd never felt in his life. His stomach tensed up as the butterflies started out light and grew heavier as her hands reached up to grab his face.

"The person beneath the man who refuses to show emotion everytime he's forced to kill." It wasn't until she finished saying it that she felt his hands around her waist.

She looked deeply into his eyes as he looked down at the ground below them. She slowly tilted his head up, needing him to look into her eyes as well and he obeyed.

"Carol." He basically whispered and shivers ran throughout her body.

A lump rose in her throat and she began to lean in, pulling his face down to hers. Just as their lips were about to touch, the church doors swung open and they pushed each other away seeing the crowd of people descending the stairs and walking in between them. They weakly smiled at each other for a second before he turned and left.

The childless, formerly abused widow let out a loud sigh, just now realizing that she had been holding her breath ever since the moment he held her waist and she found herself breathing heavily. For some reason she felt a bit queasy and the swarm of people leaving the church in front of her as she stared at Daryl walking away seemed to make it worse. Did that really just happen? Could she have been falling for him this whole time and not even noticed until their bodies touched so gently and intimately?

How could this even happen, she wondered. They were from two different worlds before everything happened. They never would've even met if it weren't for the damned dead rising. A part of her believed it too good to be true, especially in a time like this. But perhaps it was each other's absences that could have pulled them so much closer in seeing each other again. She couldn't tell, but she just knew that she wasn't ashamed at all. And she now wanted it more than anything.

* * *

 _*That Night*_

Daryl sat in the grass, drinking a beer and looking up at the stars. He had been thinking about that all day. For some reason, he had a feeling for awhile now that something like this could happen between them. But he never thought it'd be romantic. He expected it to just be pure sexuality and nothing more. At least from his end. Maybe she'd be a normal female and fall for him even if he had no known feelings for her. They were getting closer and closer as friends and for awhile he felt that she was the only one there for him or at least the only one he could trust and talk to. But never did he see himself falling for her. If he had, that was.

Maybe that feeling in his stomach was just his adrenaline rush slowing down from being so angry all of a sudden and walking out during Rick's speech. Or maybe it was just subconscious excitement from seeing his best friend for the first time in a while. He couldn't tell anymore. But he could tell that something else was happening in her mind at the time too. Did she feel the same way? He had no clue.

He heard a throat clear behind him and he stood, turning around with his knife quickly out of his pocket and ready. Upon seeing who it was, he calmly put the knife back and stood awkwardly as Carol spoke.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to talk." She looked up at the sky, smiling at all the constellations and remembering teaching them to Carl, whom she recently witnessed talking to Judith about them. Daryl slowly nodded, not looking her in the eye and he turned around, sitting down again. "May I join you?"

"Um, uh, sure?" His tone didn't sound so sure as he said it, but she sat immediately whether he was or not.

Carol looked up at the sky as Daryl took another sip of his beer. "I would say it was a beautiful night, but you'd probably start yelling at me again." She joked with a small laugh that sent goosebumps down Daryl's neck. She noticed his lack of response to the remark and his complete avoidance to look directly at her.

"After you left today, I found something-"

"Look, Carol." He interrupted. "I'm not so sure where this is going or what happened earlier today, but you should know that I've never...I've never been in a serious relationship before and I'm not positive that starting one during the whole zombie apocalypse thing is such a good idea."

"Oh." Was all that escaped her lips and she sat in shock as that came out of nowhere.

"I love you, Carol. I don't know how you feel, but I consider you family and I'm gonna be honest with you when I say that I'm not so sure we should be anything more than good friends."

"Daryl?" They heard someone coming up from behind them. "Daryl!" Rick repeated as he approached.

"What is it?" The man with long dark hair asked.

"We've got a problem." Daryl stood immediately to follow Rick back to center of town.

Carol sat there alone, looking back up at the stars as her eyes filled with tears. She shook her head before setting down something she held in her hands before she stood. Staring down at the object on the ground, she sniffled and spoke to herself as if Daryl could hear her. "I just wanted to tell you I found this." She whispered, wiping away a stray tear before heading toward the ruckus she heard.

As she left, there it lay in the cold grass, free and alone, the wind carrying it away to a place unknown. The Cherokee Rose was gone.

* * *

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Rick stepped into the circle that was formed near the RV they had rode back into town with. "Hold it!" He yelled, trying to calm everyone.

"How can we trust these people when they're stealing from us?" Denise yelled back.

"We're not stealing anything from you!" The man who apparently called himself 'Jesus' shouted.

"Then explain the missing food in our pantry! It's not like we weren't low enough on supplies and now we have to go work for you?" Another angry townsperson added.

"Calm down!" Rick said once more. "Now, listen! We don't know who stole from us, but it don't matter."

"What do you mean 'it don't matter?' How can we trust them to give us what we were promised when they're gonna go ahead and steal from us anyway?" Denise jumped in again.

"We made a deal! Alright? And besides, we're all survivors! We can get through anything! You know that!" The former sheriff encouraged.

"I'm not going anywhere with them." Eugene glared at Jesus.

"Neither am I," said another Alexandria veteran.

"What's going on?" A late Carol wondered aloud when she finally joined the small riot.

"Some food was taken from the pantry. Everyone is blaming Jesus and his friends." Maggie whispered beside her.

"Why would they steal from us if you said that they have more food than we do?" Carol asked in confusion.

"They didn't." Glenn whispered as well. "They're just new, so everyone's gonna blame them first."

They sat and listened to more complaints and accusations as well as arguments between Jesus and Denise before Carol finally spoke up. "Guys! Guys!" Everyone quieted down. "We shouldn't be yelling at each other. If anything we should come together and try to help one another. Look at what's happening out there! People are dying. We're surviving. Now why is that?" No one answered. "Because everyone in this town, well...almost everyone, stuck together. And look where we are. People go out on their own and they last maybe, what? Two days? Three days? We need to help one another. Humans aren't the enemy. Walkers are and the best way to defeat them is to help each other. Not try and kill each other."

It was silent for a moment and her eyes found Daryl's across the town circle from her. She looked down at the ground and hoped someone would speak soon.

"She's right." Sasha broke the silence.

"Did you hear that?" Carl whispered to Enid in a far corner of the circle.

"Hear what?" She asked.

Carl looked around behind him as he listened carefully. Through the dark shadows, he swore he saw a bit of movement.

"Hear what?" Enid repeated.

"Shhh…" He put a finger up. Not trusting his only good eye, he turned to the group. "Hey, everyone! Quiet!" He made his way to the center of the circle to his father. He whispered. "I heard something. Over there." He pointed to a solemn tree beyond the townspeople.

Rick put his finger over his mouth, gesturing to everyone to stay silent and he pulled out his gun. Michonne slowly took out her Katana and held it firmly in hand as she nodded to Daryl who also got his gun ready. He desperately hoped for his crossbow back as he followed the two of them toward the other side of the group. Carol took a knife from her pocket and began to follow. When Daryl noticed, he put a hand behind him, demanding her to stop and she glared at him from behind.

The suspense grew and grew the closer the three got to the outside of the gathering of people, Rick in the front and Michonne and Daryl behind him on either side like his backup singers. At this time, anyone else with a weapon had theirs out and ready, but stayed put and as silent as possible.

Finally reaching the middle of the road, Rick stopped, watching carefully and listening with as much intent as possible. Michonne and Daryl looked around either side and both of their weapons slowly lowered. "Rick?" Michonne said.

"Shhh…" Grimes demanded and Daryl and Michonne shot eyes to each other.

"Rick, there's nothing-" Daryl began.

"No, no. Shhh…" Rick whispered.

Finally, after twenty seconds or so, he began to leisurely lower his gun as well. He turned around, looking at Carl who shrugged his shoulders. "I swore I heard something."

Suddenly, they all heard it and soon they saw a young girl shooting out from behind the large tree, sprinting down the road with a bag on her back. Clearly realizing she must've been the one stealing from them, Rick ran after her. Daryl followed as well as Abraham and Carl. Michonne stayed back, letting her sword down and watching them chase after the stranger with a sigh. Maggie and Glenn began to run as well, but Michonne stopped them. "They've got this." She said before turning to face Mags. "Besides, I don't think you need to be running right now." Maggie nodded once and looked down the street, seeing their figures slowly fade into the distance. The street lights were dull and clearly in need of a light bulb change soon, so they couldn't see very well as they heard a struggle down the block.

A loud grunt came from Rick and another from the strange girl. "Let me go!" She shouted, just close enough to be heard by the group of residents. "Get off me!"

"Who are you?" Rick shouted at her.

The group heard no answer, but soon they saw them returning with the thief's hands held behind her back by Rick as Daryl pointed his gun at her. They led her to the center of the gathered group of people and Rick forced her to her knees. "Ow!" She exclaimed upon hitting the pavement.

Everyone finally had a good look at her. She was very dirty, but they could still make out a darker skin tone. Her physical features and tan complexion made it hard for anyone to recognize her ethnicity as well as her extremely long, dark, and thick hair which seemed Brazilian, but not quite. "Who are you?" Rick asked her one more time.

She finally spoke, shaking beneath his tight grip on her hands. "My name is Evelyn."

"How did you get beyond the walls?" He wondered.

At first, she didn't answer, but soon she gave in. "I jumped over by climbing the trees."

"Did you steal from our pantry?"

She nodded, fear forming in her eyes as she looked around at the people staring down at her. "Rick." Carol stepped forward.

He ignored her. "Did you take anything else? Any weapons? Clothing?"

No answer.

"Rick!" Carol said again, a bit louder.

"Did you take anything else?" He repeated. Tears emerged in the stranger's eyes and she shook her head no. "Are you alone?"

"Rick!"

"Carol!" He shouted at her and she immediately looked up to Daryl who still pointed his gun at the young girl. "Are you alone!?" The former sheriff shouted once again.

"Yes!" The hostage screamed as tears finally escaped her green orbs. Her voice shook, Carol scowled at Daryl who stared blankly back at her with the gun aimed at the outsider's head. It was as if they had a conversation right then and there, but with no words. She was begging him to stop Rick as the girl was clearly scared and he was explaining to her that they had to do this. Upon recognizing the look on his face, she rolled her eyes and looked back to Rick.

"Rick, please. Is the gun really necessary?"

"I don't know, Carol. Is it? Maybe we could ask Evelyn." He looked down at the newcomer. "Is the gun necessary?"

"Dad." Carl also noticed the fear in the visitor's eyes. His father looked up at him and he shook his head no.

After thinking about it for a second, Grimes nodded to Daryl who put the gun back in his back pocket while staring at a clearly furious Carol. Finally calm, Rick put his gun away as well while he apologized. "I'm sorry. We had to make sure."

It was quiet for what seemed like forever before Carol rolled her eyes and walked over to help the frightened girl stand.

"Are you okay?" She asked, while still frowning at Daryl and Rick.

"Yeah." Evelyn nodded. "I'm fine."

"How old are you?' The older woman asked with a gentle and kind voice.

"Fifteen." She sniffled.

"Fifteen? And you're all alone?" The cold grimace on her face grew even colder upon hearing the poor child's age and she never let go of her hand. After Evelyn nodded, Carol asked another question. "How long have you been alone?" The teen shrugged.

"About two years or so. I think?"

There was an audible gasp from the crowd and a couple mumbles as Carol continued to peacefully ask her more questions. "Two years? How did you survive all by yourself? Where have you been all this time?"

"I-uh...I found a treehouse out in the woods. After my big brother died, I ran from those things and climbed up when I saw it. Apparently they can't climb." More mumbling began amongst the crowd and she grew nervous again.

"What did you do for food and water?" Maggie stepped forward and asked her.

"I began to learn things about them...like how they followed sound and eventually, they left the tree once they heard something. So, I climbed down when there were none and I'd go out and find food."

"Where's this treehouse of yours?" Sasha wondered.

"I don't know. It's pretty far from here."

"How'd you find this town?" Michonne asked.

"I was out near the road and I heard that." She pointed to the RV. "I followed it and waited till night to sneak in. I got pretty good at climbing trees." She weakly smiled, but it quickly disappeared.

"Have you been able to clean at all?" Carol wondered, trying not to make it obvious that the young teen carried a strong stench on her. She shook her head no and Carol took her by the hand. "Alright, well. Come with me." Just before leading her up to one of the houses, she stopped and glared at Rick and Daryl once more as she shouted to everyone. "There! You can all go home now! We caught the big, bad thief!" Everyone awkwardly looked down and she grabbed Evelyn's shoulder, while still holding her hand, and led her to a nice bathroom.


	2. Evelyn

"Wow." Evelyn looked around at the walls and lights and the thick roof above her head. "It's been such a long time since I've been in a house. Well, one like this. Not abandoned and trashed, like all the ones I tore apart for food that was already gone."

Carol watched as she spun around in circles, looking up at the white ceilings and touching every smooth surface she could find. She led her up the stairs to a bedroom where she would grab come clean clothes for her and a towel. Upon reaching it, Evelyn stopped in her tracks and looked dispiritedly at Carol. "What is it?"

"That man...he took my backpack."

"Oh, that's alright. We can get you a new one. Or perhaps they'll let you stay and you won't need it." Carol smiled.

"No. I don't think so. They didn't seem to like me much." She looked down and to the side a bit sadly before continuing. "I need my bag. It has pictures of my family in it."

"If you don't mind my asking, when did your parents die?" The widow wondered aloud.

"They died as soon as everything happened. My two older brothers looked after my three sisters and I. Until they all died, one by one. Then it was just me and Salal."

"Salal? Interesting name." Carol handed the young girl a towel and began to look for some clean garments for her.

"Yeah. It's Cherokee."

Immediately, Carol Peletier stopped her movements, remembering the Cherokee Rose and the origin behind it. Daryl popped into her head. "Cherokee, huh?" She barely choked out.

"Mhm. My name isn't really Evelyn. That's the English name I gave myself so the kids at school could have something easier to call me. My full name is Tsistunagiska Galilani Talquetta."

"Wow." Carol said weakly as she slowly continued to search for an outfit for the still filthy teen. "That's a mouth full."

"Which is why I came up with Evelyn...or Evie."

"Um, where'd you get Evelyn from?" She finally found a shirt and searched for some pants.

"It was my grandmother's name on my mother's side. They weren't Native American, her ancestors were French."

"Ah. Explains the green eyes." Carol grinned. Finally, a pair of pants. The tall woman in her forties handed the clothes to the guest and led her to the bathroom down the hall. "What does your name mean?" The curious adult asked, remembering that all Native Americans had a name that had a certain meaning to it.

"My tribal name?"

"Yeah." They reached the bathroom and stepped in.

"Tsistunagiska means 'wild rose,' Galilani means 'friendly' and Talquetta is the surname for the 'Long-Haired-Tribe.' So, strangely my name is, 'Wild Rose Friendly Long Hair.'" Evelyn set her clothes down on the sink and the towel on top of them.

"Alright, well...Wild Rose, I'll leave you to wash up." 'Wild rose' also sent Carol into a slew of thoughts about Daryl and she decided to stop asking questions about this girl as everything that she said somehow reminded her of her own sadness at the moment.

"Umm…" Evelyn stopped the woman as she began to step out of the restroom. "Wait, please?" The suddenly talkative girl was shy once more. "I-uh…"She seemed embarrassed. "I don't remember how to-"

Carol nodded. Of course she wouldn't remember how to turn a shower on. She'd been out in the woods for over two years, living up in a treehouse and on food she probably found in the deceased people's homes and trash cans. "Oh, right. Sorry." She stepped back into the bathroom and opened the shower curtain, turning the nozzle. "Do you want it hot or cold?"

"Hot, please."

"Of course." She turned the warmer nozzle. "How's that?" Carol asked as Evie put a hand in and tested it.

"Good." The young girl replied and Carol closed the curtain again, getting ready to walk out.

"Okay. I'll be in the bedroom if you need any-"

"Wait, what's your name?" Evelyn wondered.

Smiling, she answered, "Carol."

"Thank you, Carol." The newcomer smiled back.

"You're welcome." Getting ready to close the door, she was brought to a halt by another request from Evelyn.

"Would you mind, uh...staying in here?" The younger of the two saw the clear look of confusion on the adult's face. "I'm sorry, it's just...I've spent too much time alone and...I'm-" She stopped speaking as she fiddled with a strand of her knotted hair.

"You're scared." Carol finished for her and she slowly and ashamedly nodded. "Uh, of course." She stepped back in, closing the door behind her. "I'll turn around while you-"

"Thanks." Evie exclaimed in an embarrassed tone while her newfound friend faced the door and she began to undress.

The dark haired girl stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. "Okay. I'm in now."

Carol turned around and sat on the toilet as she listened to Evelyn tell her stories of survival and her large family. She taught her about her tribe and Carol never said a word. She listened intently, though she kept her mind on Daryl the entire time.

Soon enough, the water grew cold and Evie was finally enthusiastic about getting out. Carol waited outside the door for her and when she finished changing, they went into one of the unoccupied bedrooms. Carol grabbed a brush from the dresser by the door and offered it to Evie who stared at and hesitated to take it. "Don't tell me you forgot how to brush, too?"

"No." The girl's voice was sad. "I just miss my mother, that's all." She weakly grinned at Carol. "She used to brush it for me and my sisters." Another smile grew on her face as she looked away as if seeing a memory. She walked over to the bed and sat on it, staring at the floor. She began to cry.

Suddenly, Carol began to think of Sophia. It had been awhile since she'd thought of her and totally embraced the memory of her late daughter. But it wasn't until now that she realized Sophia would be around Evelyn's age had she survived. Standing by the dresser still, Carol listened to the sobs coming from the fifteen year old and she felt sick fighting back the tears that arose. Clearing her throat, she walked over to the bed and sat on it behind the young girl. She reached a hand up, wanting to hold her, just for a moment, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her hand fell back down to the bed and she let out a short breath of air. "Whatever happens," she began, "...you never have to be alone again."

Upon hearing those words, Evie turned around and pulled the kind woman in for a tight hug. Carol was caught off guard, but eventually, she gave into the embrace and soon closed her eyes imagining that she was holding Sophia once again.

After awhile, they finally broke the hug and Evelyn wiped away her tears. She began to reach for the brush that Carol still held, but the woman smiled at her. Understanding what the look meant, the teen smiled back before turning around, facing the wall ahead of her and Carol began to brush the long, wet locks that fell a bit beyond the young girl's lower back. It was silent as she brushed, as if they were just patiently taking in each other's presence.

Evie closed her eyes, almost falling asleep once all the snarls had gone and Carol continued to smooth out her, now clean, mane. She grinned, loving the smell of the sweet shampoo and conditioner that sent off an aroma throughout the room. It had been so long since she smelt anything so pleasant. She had grown used to the stench of rotting flesh all around her and the reek of body odor that grew upon her throughout the years. She took in a deep breath and softly hummed as she breathed out. Carol noticed, but said nothing with a smile as she took one last brush stroke. "There you go." She said softly, setting the brush down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Just before standing, she gave the young girl's hair one small brush through with her fingers. "Now, you can come down with us, or stay here. It's your choice."

Finally reopening her eyes, Evie answered, still facing away from the woman. "I might stay up here. I'm just so tired." She looked over her shoulder into the standing woman's eyes. "I forgot what a bed even felt like till now."

The former Mrs. Peletier gently nodded and Evelyn looked back at the wall in front of her. "I understand." Carol turned to leave, but she changed her mind and asked, "Would you like me to stay up here with you?" Before the newcomer could answer, there was a sudden knock on the open door and the teen jumped up to her feet, turning around finally. "It's okay." Carol comforted her as she moved closer to Evie, looking at Rick, Daryl, and Michonne at the door.

"Everything alright?" Sheriff Grimes asked.

"Yes." Carol answered, her eyes immediately shooting to Daryl.

Upon seeing the nervous girl, Rick took a step into the room. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. You've gotta know that we have some enemies and I had to make sure you weren't one of them." He tried to justify.

"One of them? You thought I was one of those things?" Evie asked as if that were ridiculous.

"No, of course not." Michonne stepped in.

"Well, you said one of the enemies-"

"As hard as it may sound, those things are not the only enemies we have." Carol looked down in shame and annoyance at this life.

"What? You mean like other people?" The girl asked. "For real? Even with all that's happened, there are still people fighting?" She seemed less timid all of a sudden and more frustrated and disappointed.

"Unfortunately, yes." Carol replied, looking up at Daryl who stared at the floor.

"That's just how people are. That's how they've always been." The crossbow expert added in, quickly shooting his eyes up to Carol and back down at the floor again.

"So listen," Rick began. "...tomorrow we're driving up to the hilltop to start working with them."

"With them or for them?" Carol rolled her eyes, kind of hating the deal herself.

"With them, Carol." Grimes responded. "It's either that or they don't leave us alone anyways and we don't get the food we need and were promised."

"Fine. But I say we come up with a plan B, just in case."

"Carol-" Daryl began but was interrupted by the agitated widow.

"If there is one thing I learned from everything that's happened it's that we must always be prepared. So, I say….we come up with a secret plan B, or this is gonna turn out to be disaster." She demanded.

"You don't know that." Rick said.

"I do." Carol practically snapped at him. "There's always a disaster." She took one more look at Evelyn before walking by Rick and Michonne and aggressively brushing Daryl's shoulder as she stepped out of the room and headed down the stairs and out the front door.

* * *

 _*The Next Day*_

"So you survived out there all on your own for two years?" Carl asked Evelyn, a bit impressed, as they got ready with the rest of the town's people to head toward the hilltop.

"It was about two years, yeah." She answered.

"How do you know that it was two years if you were living up in a tree?" Enid asked as she glared at the new girl.

"I started carving tallies with everyday that passed."

"That was very smart." Carl said with a smile.

"Whatever." Enid exclaimed and she walked away.

The remaining teens continued to help others with loading their supplies into the three vehicles they had and Evelyn noticed the strange man from her bedroom last night looking at her. "Who's that?" She whispered to Carl who turned and looked in his direction.

"That's Daryl."

"He keeps looking at me." This remark caused Carl to turn and look at Daryl Dixon near the front of the line of three cars.

"Don't worry about him. He's cool. It's probably just because you're new and he's being protective. He's actually kind of shy." Rick's son took her hand and began to lead her toward the RV in front near where Daryl stood.

"Wait. No." Evie tried to protest, but the one eyed boy was surprisingly strong.

"Hey, Daryl." Carl said once they approached him.

"Hi, Carl." The man said in a low voice.

"This is Evie." The young boy pointed to the newcomer beside him. Daryl nodded once at her and stepped up into the RV. "See? He's just a little shy. Trust me. He's one of the good guys." He finally let go of her hand and joined the others in the RV.

A few moments passed and everyone got ready to leave. The cars were all turned on and just as they began to move, Daryl spoke. "Hey, Carl. Where's that girl?" The teen looked around frantically, realizing that she never got in with him.

He stood, looking out the window and saw her running back through the town. "Dad, stop!" He yelled.

"Carl-" Rick began.

"Stop the RV." His son repeated.

Sighing, the former police officer brought the line of cars to a halt. Carl, jumped out of the RV and ran back towards Evelyn. Everyone else in the RV stepped out of it and looked back as Carl yelled the girl's name, causing her to stop and turn around. "What?" She asked.

"Where are you going?" He wondered.

Soon, they were joined by Carol who saw and approached the situation.

"I shouldn't go with you."

"Why not? I thought you never wanted to be alone again." Carl panted a bit from running.

"I barely made it on my own. I'll just make things worse for everyone here. I don't know how to use weapons and protect others. All I know is to save myself. Being out there on my own for so long taught me that I only know how to be on my own." The idea of change actually terrified Evelyn.

"You're coming with us." Carol spoke up. The girl gave her a look of uncertainty. "I promised you that you'd never have to be alone again and I don't break promises."

"But, I-"

"Ah ah. No buts. Let's go." The woman reached her hand out, offering it to the frightened teen. "Come on. You can sit next to me." Carol smiled at her.

She hesitated, but soon Evie found herself reaching out to take the trusted woman's hand and followed them back to the cars where everyone who got out, climbed back into the RV and they headed off to the hilltop.

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 **A/N: I know this focused a lot on Evelyn, but don't worry, lots of Caryl coming!**


	3. Headache

The new teen kept a wary eye on Daryl most of the ride to the hilltop. She'd noticed his staring once again. Only this time, he was not looking at her. Carl tried keeping conversation with her, but she refused to speak anymore as she now realized everything was going to be different from now on. She did grow used to being alone and soon that treehouse had become her home. She hugged her back pack to her chest as it sit on her lap, remembering that her family photos were still in there and they were the only thing she had left of her own.

"You alright?" Carol asked her when she noticed the tight grip she had on her bag.

"I'm fine."

They heard one of the car horns behind them. "What's going on?" Sasha asked.

"I don't know." Rick looked in the side view mirror. He saw Aaron poking his head out the driver's side window, motioning for him to pull over. "He wants us to stop." He sighed, pulling to the side of the road and getting out. After a small conversation involving the two men, Rick returned to the door of the RV. "They're almost out of gas."

"What?" Abraham responded.

Putting his head down in frustration, Rick said, "We're gonna have to go to the nearest gas station."

"Well, that's no big deal, right?" Maggie asked. Glenn squeezed her hand. "There can't be one too far from here."

"There's one a few miles up the road, but Aaron says they won't make it that far." Grimes sighed.

"Well, we can go get the gas right?" Jesus wondered.

"We can. But, I think some of us should stay back with them."

"What? Why?" Rosita looked to Abraham who looked at Sasha.

"Because. I don't want to risk any walkers showing up and no one here to help them. Just in case." He stated.

"I'll stay." Michonne offered.

"Me too." Daryl added.

"So will I." Sasha offered.

"Count me in." Abraham smiled, always loving a good jolt of danger.

"I want to stay."

"Carl, no." Rick refused.

"But Dad, I can-"

"I said no. You're coming with the rest of us." His son slouched in frustration, but Rick didn't care at the moment.

"What about you?" Evelyn whispered to Carol beside her. "Are you gonna stay and protect them?"

"Why?" The woman wondered.

"He's staying." Evie looked to Daryl and Carol followed her gaze.

"So?"

"Okay, everyone who's staying you can get out. Be careful and we'll be back as soon as possible." Rick moved to the other side of the RV to get into the driver's seat as the volunteers all exited the vehicle with their weapons.

Evelyn looked over to Rosita who mouthed the words 'be careful' to Abraham as he got out and got ready to shut the door. She watched him weakly smile at her and the door was closed. She was soon confused as she saw the way the redhead looked at Sasha and the way Rosita looked at him. They were the same looks Carol had received from Daryl the whole ride. Only, Daryl seemed more sad.

Rick turned the RV back on and they continued down the street. "Hey, Evie?" Carol whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What did you mean by that back there? You know, about me staying?"

It was now that Evelyn realized, Carol hadn't a clue about Daryl's stares. Either that or she was ignoring them altogether. "Nothing. Nevermind. I just thought-Well, I haven't been around people for two years except for those things so pretend I never even mentioned it."

Carol did just that, as it was true, she had noticed the looks she was receiving from him all along. That was the specific reason she hadn't volunteered to stay back. His looks of sorrow, or regret, or pity, or all three were unbecoming of him and she couldn't stand to see it anymore. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and trying her best to get rid of this-

"Headache?" The young girl asked.

Moving her hand away from her face, Carol gave her an intrigued look. "Yes. How'd you know?"

"My mother used to do that when she got migraines." Evie replied. "Here." She took Carol's hand and squeezed the webbed area between her thumb and index finger. "My mother was always tired and got headaches a lot. She and my father fought all the time. It was mostly about us kids and doing things the tribal way on his side, but she wanted us to live normal lives the way she was raised. It was really bad for their marriage." She set down Carol's left hand and picked up her right to do the same to it. "It got so bad sometimes. Once, she had a migraine for four days and had to go to the hospital for it. My dad hit her the next day." She stared off into space for a moment as Carol glanced at her reminiscing in her memories. After a couple seconds or so, she snapped out of it and put Carol's hand back in her lap. "There. Is that better?"

"A little bit. Yeah. Thank you." The woman rubbed her hands together while watching the girl fiddle with the zippers on her back pack. "You miss your mother." It wasn't a question, nor an informational sentence. It was more of a realization that Carol finally began to think of Sophia once again, realizing she did miss her and she wondered what her life would be like with her daughter in it at this time.

"I miss all of them. But I guess it's more that I miss what we were. " Evelyn nodded. "We were happy. We were best friends. Once this all happened, she changed. Something was different between us." It was now that she noticed the one eyed boy was listening to everything. "I just wish we could go back to before." She felt Carol's hand on hers and she looked up at the lady weakly smiling at her.

They felt the RV come to a stop and Rick and Glenn stepped out. Rick filled the gas can for the other cars while Glenn filled the tank of the RV. They looked around a lot, preparing themselves in case anymore walkers showed up, or even people from another community such as Jesus.

"Alright, we should be good." Rick said as he got back in the driver's seat. He buckled up and headed back for the rest of the group.

"You say you're part Native American?" Jesus asked Evie, who nodded. "Ah. What tribe?"

"Cherokee."

"I had a girlfriend once who was Tuscaroran." Evelyn nodded once more and they felt the RV turning down another road.

"Did you hear that?" Maggie asked.

"What?" Glenn wondered.

"Sounded like a-" Before she could finish, it sounded again and this time they all heard it loud and clear.

"Gunshot." Rick concluded and they came across the group fighting off about fourteen walkers.

Daryl stabbed one and turned to see the RV coming. "Rick!" He yelled, pushing one away and shooting it in the head. Another one came up behind him and he pushed it in front of the RV, Rick hitting it and running it over, crushing its skull. The whole group began to run off the RV and Carol turned to notice Evelyn's shock.

"Stay in here." She demanded.

"Maybe I can help." Evie offered with uncertainty.

"No! I'll come get you when-" She turned seeing one running towards the entrance of the recreational van and she stabbed in the head, yelling back at Evie. "Just stay in here!" She left closing the door and helping the others kill the rest.

"I'm sorry!" Daryl yelled as Carol came up beside him.

"What?!" She yelled, stabbing one through the back of the head.

"I'm sorry about last night!" Daryl shot one through the chin.

"You're bringing this up now?" She yelled, knocking one to the ground and bending over to stab it in the forehead.

"You know, I thought it'd be best when you could kill these things and not me!" He shot two more and turned to her as she stabbed another.

"Very funny, Daryl." One grabbed her from behind and he shot it.

There was about three left and Rick, Sasha, and Michonne finished them off. Once the one that had ahold of Carol fell to the ground, she looked into Daryl's eyes. "I miss you talking to me." He admitted. "I don't want what I said last night to affect that."

She sighed and looked down, suddenly remembering Evelyn. "Could you go get that girl for me? I had her hiding in the RV." Carol leaned against the hood of one of the cars to rest.

Daryl looked down, slightly nodding and taking one last look at her as he walked away. Suddenly, her headache was back and she put her hand to her forehead before trying the trick Evie did on her. It wasn't as effective.

Suddenly, there was one more sound of a gun going off. "Help!?" She heard Daryl's voice and looked up, seeing him help Evelyn limp around the RV. "Help!" Carol stood up as fast as possible and ran over to the two as Daryl set her down on the ground. Evie leaned her back up against the car behind the RV and screamed.

Upon approaching them, the group saw the blood that poured out of the young girl's leg and Denise fell to the girl's side, immediately putting pressure on the wound and Heath handed her a cloth to help.

"What happened? I told you to stay inside." Carol said to the teen.

"I thought it was over and when I opened the door there was one more." She grimaced in pain.

"Why didn't you scream for my help?" Carol held her hand.

"I thought I could handle it." She groaned again and started to sweat. "It's fine though. Just a small bite."

Everyone gasped, turning to look at each other. Carl knelt down beside her. "You were bitten?"

"Yes." Evie answered, confused.

"You don't know what happens when we get bitten by one of those?" He asked her.

"No?" She looked around at everyone's reactions and immediately knew what that might mean.

"Evie, how did your family go?" Carol asked, still holding her hand.

"They, um…" She hesitated to tell them, but knew she probably had to. She hissed in pain as Denise wrapped her leg. "My sisters and brother were all eaten, then my parents…" Some tears escaped her eyes. "They killed themselves. Salal looked after me until...he went kind of crazy and I...I ran away from him."

"Evelyn, being bitten is not a good thing." Michonne said slowly.

"You-" Rick's son began to tell her, but Carol interrupted.

"You'll be okay." The widow assured her as her headache grew worse. "We'll take care of you." Everyone looked down at Carol as if she were crazy. Except for Daryl who leaned over and put a hand on Carol's shoulder before helping Rick get Evelyn into the RV again.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave reviews!**


	4. Finally

**A/N: Sorry, it's been a few days. Sunday's episode? Yeah, let's not talk about that. I'm just gonna forget about Tobin and continue writing this. Lol Let me know what you think of this chapter in the review section! 3**

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"How long till we get to the hilltop?" Carol asked anxiously from the bed in the back of the RV as she held Evelyn's hand.

"Only a few more minutes." Jesus answered from the passenger seat, giving Rick a strange look.

"Soon." Grimes added, returning the same look to the man with the long hair, then keeping his eyes on the road.

Everyone present watched Carol try to comfort the girl in pain and they kept an eye on her leg, waiting for her to turn. Maggie and Glenn exchanged looks of worry and confusion as to why Carol wouldn't tell her the truth. Carl couldn't stop staring and Daryl was the only one paying close attention to Carol's expressions. Denise joined them, in case she needed anymore medical attention on the ride and Michonne kept a hand ready to grab her katana as soon as possible. She had hoped they'd cut the girl's leg off right away as they had for Hershel, but it was too late now and Carol wouldn't allow it.

Soon, everyone's thoughts were interrupted as they heard the teen coughing. They looked to see Carol touching a cloth to her forehead, sweat pouring from her face. She shook violently and struggled to keep her eyes open. "C-Carol." She broke out.

"Yes?"

"I'm gonna die. Aren't I?" Evelyn cracked a small smile, finally realizing this was probably the end.

"You are not gonna die."

"Carol." Michonne began.

"No!" She looked over at the sword wielding female. "Not yet."

"Carol. We need to do something, before-" Carl stated and then stopped himself.

"Before what?" Evie asked. No one answered. "Before what?" Carol looked down and sighed, fighting back tears she hadn't known were making their way to the surface. Finally, the young girl knew. She coughed once more as the pace of her heartbeat increased and she felt herself panicking. "No. No. That's how it happens, isn't it?" She asked, referring to being bitten turning you into a walker. Again no one answered her and she squeezed Carol's hand, pulling her down, a bit closer to her. "I don't wanna be one of those things." Tears escaped the dark haired girl's eyes. "What do we do?"

"There's only one thing to do." Daryl finally spoke, pulling out his gun. Evie looked at it and slightly gasped before looking back up into Carol's eyes.

Carol shook her head no and finally let the tears escape her eyes and she let out a light sob, squeezing the girl's hand even tighter.

"We're here." Rick said softly, putting the RV in park and sadly turning to look at the people in the back. Jesus got out of the passenger seat and walked into Gregory's house to tell them that everyone had arrived and Rick slowly exited the vehicle, walking around it and opening the back door. Abraham, Sasha, Denise, and Rosita got out quickly, following Jesus inside. "Carl." Rick tried to get his son's attention. "Let's go."

It took the younger Grimes a moment before finally listening to his father and he stood from his seat, ready to get out. But before he left he gave Evie one last smile and morosely left the van. Maggie, Glenn, and Michonne followed suit. Rick stood in the door, looking at Daryl who still held the gun. He climbed into the RV and took the gun from his friend's hand. Looking down at Carol sitting on the bed beside Evie, he put a hand on her shoulder before offering the gun to the teen.

Carol stared at the gun in his hand as Evelyn hesitantly took it from him. Once the gun was no longer in his hand, the former police officer left the RV and Daryl finally stood. Walking over to the two, he said, "Carol. We should go." She shook her head. "She should be alone-"

Carol snapped her head around and yelled. "I promised her she'd never be alone again! I'm not leaving her." Daryl understood right away, knowing that the woman always did her best to keep promises and he decided he wasn't going to leave her either.

Evelyn still cried and she held the gun in her hand. She sniffled before stating, "I've never used a gun before." She weakly smiled, remembering cop games as a child with her friends before everything happened. Her grin faded as she put the firearm up to her temple. Her breathing grew quicker and she closed her eyes, shaking even more than before. She bawled a bit harder and she opened her eyes to look into Carol's sad orbs. Evie shook her head before whispering, "I don't think I can-"

Carol grabbed the handgun and took a deep breath before pressing it to the poor girl's forehead. "I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked.

Letting out a breath of air and forcing herself to stop crying, Evelyn nodded slowly. "Thank you." She whispered and closed her eyes, ready for it to be over.

"I'm sorry." Carol repeated, her finger stiff on the trigger. "I'm sorry." She whispered almost so none of the other two could even hear it and she closed her own eyes.

Almost twenty seconds passed and nothing happened. "Carol." Daryl stepped a bit closer. "You need to do it." He hated rushing her, but it was urgent as soon, the teen could turn.

"I-" She held the firearm firmly in her hand, but still, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to kill another person. She couldn't. Especially not one who was the same age as her daughter would be now.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on hers, holding the trigger over her own finger and she held her breath, knowing it was Daryl's. Evelyn couldn't help but smile up at the two of them. He had sat on the bed behind Carol and holding her from behind, his cheek pressed against her own and he whispered in her ear. "Ready?"

Still holding her breath, Carol slowly nodded and she felt her body quiver as her eyes squeezed shut and Daryl's finger pushed hers, pulling the trigger and Evelyn was dead.

Outside the RV, Carl and the group looked to the vehicle, hearing the gunshot. The teen boy closed his eyes and Enid walked up behind him, grabbing his hand and he took hers graciously. Maggie and Glenn looked down sadly and she put a hand on her slightly bulged stomach. Michonne and Rick sighed, walking into the house and Denise made a mental note of one more patient she'd lost.

It was about ten seconds after they had finally pulled the trigger and neither Daryl nor Carol had moved an inch. He still held her from behind and she still held her eyes closed, crying a bit more and her body falling limp in Daryl's arms. Finally, she opened her eyes, seeing the blood on the wall behind Evie's head and she choked out one more sob before slightly turning her head to look over her shoulder at Daryl. He forced the gun out of her hand and set it aside, looking into her icy blue eyes still filled with tears. Their faces were so close they each felt every breath the other one took.

Seeing the despair in her eyes once again broke him and he finally did it. He kissed her.

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 **A/N: I know this chapter was a bit shorter than the others, but I liked where it ended and the new update will be coming shortly. Please leave your reviews in the box below! 3 Mwah!**


	5. Two Souls

The kiss started out soft, but soon intensified and he began to taste her tears. He never let go of her as he held her from behind and she moved her hands to hold his wrapped around her. She sobbed once more when they broke for air, but continued to kiss him when she realized the kiss that she had imagined was better than she had expected it to be. Perhaps it was due to the long wait and all those years they finally had behind them.

When they eventually broke the kiss, she kept her eyes shut and leaned her back against his chest. Daryl rested his chin on her head behind her and took in a deep breath. He hadn't intended on kissing her, but he finally let himself go and decided to ignore his remarks from the night before.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small chuckle coming from the gentle woman in his arms. He put his head down so his cheek rested on hers once more and he asked, "What?"

She slightly shook her head. "Nothing. It's just funny." Carol rubbed his arm sweetly before turning and standing from the bed, the both of them immediately missing the contact.

"What is?" He looked up at her.

"I always wondered what it'd be like to kiss you." She smiled down at him as she took one of his hands in her own.

"And?"

"It's just not what I was expecting." She admitted aloud and he finally stood.

"Yeah? What were you expecting?" He wondered, grabbing her other hand with his free one.

"I don't know. It was more...ummm, intimate than I had expected."

He couldn't help but grin. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no. It's more than what I'd hoped for." She looked down at their hands intertwined and her smile faded.

Daryl looked down at her playing with his hands and he noticed the expression on her saddened face. He recognized it straight away, though he never spoke. Tears escaped her eyes again and she picked up one of his hands, kissing it gently with gratefulness.

She sniffled and nodded, still not looking up. "Thank you, Daryl." Clearing her throat, she quickly glanced down at the body on the bed behind him. Wiping away a tear, she shook her head. "I know it's ridiculous to cry. I hardly knew her for a day. But I...I don't know maybe I'm just being too dramatic." She faked a smile and finally looked back up into his eyes.

"No. No. I get it." He wiped away one of her tears with his thumb and cupped her cheek in his palm as she still held his hand up to her face. She quickly kissed the inside of his hand before letting go of her grip on his.

"I guess we, uh...better get out there, huh?" She unsurely stated.

"Yeah, I guess." He noticed her wondering whether or not to leave the RV without the body and he said, "Go on. I got it."

"You sure?" She asked sadly.

He nodded and pointed to the door. She turned around and headed to exit the vehicle when she stopped at the small step down to look back and watch Daryl lean over to scoop up the lifeless body in his arms. Before he turned to see her still there, she descended the step and upon her foot meeting the dirt below her, she remembered the purpose of arriving there. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and walked over to Maggie and Glenn, whom she noticed were looking at her with sorrowful pity. The three of them were soon joined by Jesus, Rick, and Michonne.

"Hey, Carol." Grimes said softly.

"Greg says we can bury her up here." Jesus suggested to Carol, who watched as Daryl finally stepped off the RV with the young girl in his arms.

They all regarded him and Maggie did her best to hold back her own tears of grief as she flashed back to the memory of seeing him carrying a deceased Beth from the hospital. Ignoring the man's remark, Carol walked over to Daryl and they both stopped and looked at each other. She couldn't help but look down at the teen in his arms one last time and she found herself feeling the soft, dark locks of hair that hung a few feet above the ground.

Taking in a deep breath, she looked back up into Daryl's eyes and Rick and Jesus walked up behind Carol. Putting a hand on Carol's back, Rick stated, "Follow us."

* * *

Rick and Jesus finished filling the grave with dirt and they left with their shovels. Carol stood, staring down at the ground where they had just buried Evelyn. She had no clue why her death had saddened her so, but it had. Perhaps it was the fact that so many of her traits reminded her of Sophia, or perhaps it was the fact that she was so innocent and young. Or maybe it was the fact that Carol felt she had broken a promise to herself to save that girl. It possibly could have been the effects of another death at all. So many things ran through her mind and one of them was that kiss.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab hers as it hung at her side. She looked down at their fingers intertwining and without even looking up, she knew it was Daryl Dixon. Her heartbeat grew faster and more intense the longer the contact between them lasted. It was about time.

Her gaze slowly moved up his arm, admiring every protruding muscle, and she reached his face, her own orbs finally landing on his dark blue eyes. She was glad, and a bit surprised, to see that he was smiling at her. She felt her cheeks grow hot, knowing that her complexion had shifted from pale, to rosy pink. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him again and again, but unsure of his wants, she resisted by squeezing his hand tighter in her own. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered even more, the longer they gazed into each other's eyes and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She loved that about Daryl. He made her smile more than anyone else could. After Sophia's death, she never imagined she'd smile again. But Mr. Dixon made it possible and she knew that it was good for her soul, as well as his.

After a moment of blissful silence, he spoke. "You okay?"

Her heart pounding, she gave him a slight nod before finally breaking the eye contact and looking back down at Evie's grave. Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at him once again and replied, "Gotta be."

Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as well and he almost giggled at their famous lines to each other. She smiled at him and they pressed their foreheads together for a split second before turning around and walking back to Greg's house, hand in hand, Carol leaning her head against his shoulder.

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 **A/N: Thanks again for reading! Hope you leave some reviews! ;***


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